Luck of the Draw
by LeisaTheGreat
Summary: Naruto and Sakura are captured and interrogated by an unknown group of ninja. After being forced into revealing the identity of the Jinchuuriki, Sakura is kidnapped. Who are these ninja and what are their plans? Rated T for blood and violence. NaruSaku romance or friendship. (Whatever floats your boat.) Reviews are loved! 2 Original Characters.
1. A New Mission?

_**The Luck of the Draw**_

_**Chapter One**_

_**A/N: Fun fact! This was inspired by another of my own fanfictions I wrote for my youtube account. (Which is sadly deceased, due to technical difficulties). I didn't exactly like how it turned out on youtube so I am rewriting it (as well as changing a few details.) Anyway, tell me what you think and, as always, ENJOY!**_

__An inky darkness had long since fallen over the Hidden Leaf Village. The only source of light being a few, scattered paper lanters lining the deserted strees. All the windows in all the houses were dark; everyone was asleep.

Everyone but two figures, situated atop the Hokage Monument. They were a pair of shadows, blotting out a handful of shimmering stars. Both were young men. One was seated, with his legs crosses, his eyes gazing almost dreamily into the dark violet sky. The other, however, was furiously scanning the ghost town below them. To the outsiders, it appeared as if the village had been abandoned.

"I've never seen a whole city be so quiet before..." The standing one mutters under his breath. "Shouldn't there be...guards or something? Aren't they scared of being attacked?"

"What do you expect?" The seated man sighs and lays back, folding his arms behind his head. "This 'The Great Village Hidden in the Leaves' after all...what do they have to be scared of?" He murmers.

"Arrogant." The standing man decides. "Well, I suppose they're about to learn a lesson or two, huh?"

His companion smirks, despite himself. "Aito, by the time they realize what's happened, it will be too late to realize their mistake." He says, confidently.

Aito nods. "You think _they_ will really let us join if we do this, Daiki?"

"I don't know." Daiki sits up and stares down at the sleeping village with unrelenting, cold, blue eyes. "But we have to try. I don't want to be stuck on the losing side, if it comes to a war."

"Yeah..." Aito tenses up as a light flicks on in one of the buildings, only to turn off again after a few seconds. "Let's get out of here, we can talk about this somewhere else."

"Right." And with that, they vanish seemingly into thin air.

_**-xXx-**_

___Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Bee-_

A pale, fumbling hand reaches out over the edge of the nightstand. It staggers, aimlessly for a moment before smacking down on the 'snooze' button of the screaming alarm clock.

A petite figure rustles about beneath a mountain of blankets and sheets. The top right corner of one is pushed, lazily, aside and a single jade eye peeks out. Along with a tuff of cotton-candy hair.

The woman beneath the sheets grumbles, tiredly. "Six o'clock already...?" With a reluctant and sleepy groan, she slides out of the bed. Stumbling across her small bedroom, she plops down onto a chair in front of her desk.

"Sakura! Time to get up!" Her mother calls from somewhere downstairs.

"I know!" Sakura grumbles, just loud enough for her mom to hear. "I'm awake..." The rosette leans her head on the pale, white desk. Shivering against the coolness of the wood, in contrast to her warm cheeks. She always seemed to be freezing in the morning, despite how warm it really was in the room.

After another moment of semi-consciousness, she reaches out a hand and takes a hair brush from back of the desk, running it half-heartedly through her short, pink hair. Sakura closes her eyes again, still struggling with staying awake. That is, until there's a loud _tap tap tap_ at her window.

Dazed, she turns and yanks the candy-colored curtains aside. Her mouth dropping open at what she sees perched on her windowsill. Honestly, Sakura wasn't quite sure whether she should be horrified, embarassed, shocked...or furious. Maybe a mixture of all of them was in order?

"N-Naruto?!" She cries out. Her face instantly goes redder than the throw rug on the floor. "What are you doing outside my window?!" She demands.

The blonde boy, who was easily crouched on the three-inch sill, smiles brilliantly at her. "G'morning, Sakura!" He greets, brightly. "Can I come in?"

Sakura groans and slides the window open, allowing Naruto to effortlessly duck inside. "What's up with you today?" She asks him, still flaunting a bit of acidity in her voice. "You're never up this early. And since when do you come to my house?" Now that she was thinking of it, she couldn't remember a single instance of her blonde friend ever having set foot inside her home.

Naruto shrugs, casually. "Believe me, it's not my choice that I'm awake at six o'clock." He literally shudders at the concept of waking up before noon. "Shizune just randomly showed up at my place and said that Granny has a mission for us."

"A mission?" Sakura sighs and tugs, awkwardly at the light green bath robe she'd fallen asleep in. That was another thing Naruto had never experienced. Her in any clothes beside her Kunoichi attire. Or maybe a plain shirt and skirt, on occasion. "Do you have any details yet?"

"Nah, I thought I'd wait for you before talking to Grandma Tsunade about it." He explains as his cerulean eyes drift about her bedroom, curiously drinking in the conditions his teammate lived in. _That's a lot of pink..._ He comments to himself.

Sakura frowns when she realizes his nosiness. "Okay, I'll meet you there." She tells him, pointing toward the window.

"Can't I use the front door?" He asks.

"Not unless you want to explain to my parents why there's an univited boy in their sixteen year old daughter's room."

Naruto goes stiff for a moment before laughing, nervously and ducking back through the window again. "Sorry about that, Sakura!" He calls before dropping back to the ground. "I'll see you later."

The rosette snickers at her friend before shutting, and locking, the window. As well as drawing the curtains before turning to get dressed for the day. "Idiot..." She mutters beneath a smile. _I wonder what our mission is about?_


	2. Aito and Yugito

_**Chapter Two**_

_**A/N: Okay, I want to make something very clear. I'm am NOT bashing Sakura in this chapter. I LIKE Sakura. I am simply writing her character how it actually is, with no sugar coating. Sorry if that bothers you.**_

"I'll see you later!" Sakura calls to her parents as she hurries out of the house. As the rosette turns the corner, she grins almost coyly at the sight before her. "Stupid..." She chuckles as she jogs over to him.

Naruto's mouth hung slightly agape, his head lolled over the back of the bench he was sitting on. The blonde boy's chest rose and fell, evenly as he napped in the early morning sunlight.

"Hey," Sakura says, shaking his shoulder, gently so as not to shock him. "Wake up, doofus." Although her words were harsh, Sakura's tone was nothing but tender toward her slumbering friend.

Naruto sputters for a second, his eyes fluttering open. "Hnn? Oh, Sakura..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long." She tells him. "You ready?"

He stretches his arms straight over his head and yawns before standing up. "Yep. Let's go!"

_**-xXx-**_

__The two remaining students of Team 7 arrive at the Hokage's Mansion a few minutes later, already chatting eagerly about what their mission could pertain. As they jog up the winding, metal staircase to the front door, Naruto says,

"I hope it's not some baby mission. Granny sure likes to give those to us..."

"She doesn't always give us low rank missions." Sakura tells him, wearily translating 'baby missions' to ones that are below B-rank. "And besides, if she does, it's only because you're still a Genin." Sakura grins at the memory of how freaked out he'd been when he first returned to the village after two and half years, only to find that he was the only one of their generation who was not a Chunin or Jounin yet!

Naruto groans, almost painfully at the knowledge that he was technically behind everyone else. "Nnn...! Why can't Granny just promote me already! I mean, I'm definately _not_ Genin level anymore! Just because I missed the exams..."

"It doesn't work that way." Sakura says.

"Yeah, but still! I defeated _Pain_ for God's sake! Doesn't that mean _anything _to the old hag?!"

"Naruto!" Sakura snaps. "She's not an 'old hag'! She's the Fifth Hokage!"

"Pff, yeah well I'm gonna be the next Hokage so-OW!" Naruto clutches the top of the his head where Sakura's fist had connected.

"Just be respectful, okay?" She grumbles.

Under his breath, Naruto mutters something about 'teacher's pet' which earns him another deadly glare from his pink-haired teammate.

"Watch your tongue, idiot. Or that won't be the last headache you get today."

_Knock knock knock_

Sakura lowers her hand away from the door and waits for permission to enter. After a few moments, there's no answer so she tries again. "Lady Tsunade?" She calls through the door.

"Grr, this is ridiculous!" Naruto sighs and shrugs past Sakura.

"Naruto-" Sakura reaches out to stop him but he has already thrown the door open and taken a bold step inside.

"Granny!" Naruto barks, loudly. Causing the older woman to snap up in her seat and gaze around with bleary eyes.

"W-wha...?" The blonde woman stammers. "Oh, it's you two."

Only then does Sakura join Naruto in her teacher's office. Her trained eyes immediately take in the red print on Tsunade's cheek, as well as a thin film of old drool on her chin. She smirks, trying to contain a laugh at her scary master's befuddled state. "Um, Lady Tsunade? Were you napping?"

"Hn? No, I was sleeping. There's a difference, seeing as how it's only eight in the morning. But anyway," She straightens up, trying to scratch the crusted saliva off her skin. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto frowns and folds his arms. "We were hoping you'd know that."

"What?"

Sakura nudges him, threateningly. A reminder of what she'd said earlier about respecting your elders. "Shizune told Naruto we have a mission."

"Hmm," Tsunade picks up a folder and flips through several pages. "Oh, yeah..." She yawns loudly. "A client, by the name of Aito Shunji, personally requested an escort-"

"_Escort?!_" Naruto bawls.

"-from the Hero of the Hidden Leaf." She continues, ruthlessly. Causing Naruto and Sakura to gasp, quietly.

"Does that mean it's a dangerous mission, My Lady?" She asks, flashing a concerned glance at Naruto.

Tsunade shrugs. "Ask him yourself." She tells him. "He's waiting for you at village gates with a couple of our guards. Get to it!"

"Uh, y-yes Ma'am!" Sakura nods and heads for the door. "Come on, Naruto."

"Rodger!" He chirps, suddenly feeling quite confident about the job.

_**-xXx-**_

__Nearly an hour later, Naruto, Sakura and their client were tramping through the woods, in the general direction of the set rendezvous point. As usual, Naruto took the lead at the front of the group. An arrogant and cocky smile adorning his sun-kissed face.

"So," Sakura says, deciding she might as well get to know the man they would be traveling with for rest of the day. "Your name is Aito?"

Their client, Aito, offers a polite, white-tooth smile when he says, "Yeah, that's right." Aito wasn't a big guy. He was about an inch shorter than Naruto, with scrawny arms and shoulders and, almost, sickly pale skin. His eyes were, roughly, the same color as Naruto's. Only much less brilliant. In comparison with the blonde's eyes, Aito's were more like ice. And less like Naruto's two oceans. The young man, despite his appearance, was in his mid twenties. Thus sporting a headful of shaggy, chesnut colored hair and light scruffle on his chin. He could almost pass for attractive, if it weren't for a few, minor details. Such as the sickly coloring and dark bags beneath his cold eyes.

_I wonder of he _is_ sick..._ Sakura muses, eyeing him curiously. He certainly looked the part. But he didn't act it. Aito was keeping up with them, perfectly. With no trouble at all. _Maybe he's a Shinobi too. He could have gotten hurt or ill recently and had to recover. Maybe now he's going to meet up with his teammates or something._ Sakura parts her lips to ask but stops when she is suddenly interrupted.

As if he'd read her mind, Naruto asks, "So, Aito, who are you meeting with all the way out here?"

Sakura closes her mouth again, satisfied that she would get her answer.

"A friend of mine." He replies, vaguely.

"A teammate?" Sakura asks him. "Not that it's really our business but...you seem to be in pretty good physical shape. Are you a ninja or something?"

Aito smirks. "I was." He tells them. "A long time ago. And yes, he was a teammate of mine."

"So what happened?" Naruto wonders, out loud. "Why aren't you a ninja anymore?" He ducks beneath a low-grown tree, moving a branch out of the way for the rest of the procession.

"I uh," He chuckles, awkwardly. "I had a little...disagreement with my other teammate." He tells them. "She had a bad temper and sometimes got a little...I don't know...agressive? Anyway, on a mission one day, we were attacked by a group of ninja and she got pretty upset..." He pauses for a moment, his expression turning thoughtful. "The two of us, me and the friend I'm about to visit, got hurt because she was reckless. After that, he quit and...talked me into it as well, I guess."

"And you never went back?" Sakura asks him.

"Never." He replies, casually. "Besides, I got pretty strong by the time I left so I just train on my own now."

"And...what happened to her?" Naruto wonders, out loud.

Suddenly, Aito stops walking. His face darkens and his eyes trail over the ground between his feet. "She's dead." He says in an ice-cold voice. "I don't know how it happened, exactly...from what I heard, though, she was jumped by a couple of guys. They manage to kidnap her and...well..." Aito shakes his head and starts walking again, Naruto and Sakura following in tow. "That was the last anyone ever heard from her."

Sakura sighs in despair and shakes her head. _Such a horrible story. I'm sorry I asked..._ "What was her name?" She wanted to know.

Aito smirks, sadly before saying, "Yugito."

_**A/N: I wonder how many of you will figure it out... XD**_


	3. Double Crossed

_**Chapter Three**_

_Yugito, huh?_ Naruto thinks to himself. _Why does that sound so firmiliar?_ As always, Naruto was at front of their small group. The overly-energetic teen wasn't the least bit fazed by hiking through the dense forest for over three hours.

In fact, it was only when Sakura jogged up beside him and whispered that Aito was showing signs of exhaustion, that he even glanced back. Ever since their young client had mentioned the fate of his teammate, Yugito, Naruto's mind had been a million miles away.

"Maybe we should stop for the night." She offers in hushed voice. "It's getting late anyway."

Naruto frowns, muttering something about not being the least bit tired, before slowing his rapid pace and following Sakura's lead.

"Hey, Aito?" She says, sweetly.

"Hm?" The brunette tilts his head, curiously. "Yes?"

"We thought that we should call it a day. It's been a long one..." She tells him. "And we have another big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Aito says, hint of something else in his voice. "I'd say." There was a kind of knowing glint in his eyes that, somehow, both Naruto and Sakura missed.

"We can set up camp here tonight." Says the rosette as she shrugs off her backpack.

"I'll keep first watch." Naruto tells them as he hops into the tallest branches of a nearby tree.

"Wake me when you get tired." She calls up to him.

"Mmkay."

That reminds Sakura of something she'd forgotten to ask Aito earlier in the day. When she turns to ask, he's already standing behind her. His arms folded as if waiting. "Um, Aito." She begins, lamely. "Is there a reason you asked for strong ninja to accompany you? Are you expecting to be attacked or something?"

Just then, a small grin crosses his face. And, once again, Sakura can't help but notice how he might have been good-looking, if not for those few fatal flaws. "Heh, funny you should ask that..." He chuckles.

"Wh-"

"AGH!"

Sakura gasps, spinning around to face where the yelp had come from. Suddenly, Naruto lands, heavily on the ground. A kunai held in his grip as he attempts to fight someone off of him.

"Naruto!" She runs forward, prepared to help. That is, until someone else grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the ground in a single, easy motion. _These guys are strong! _ She realizes, furiously. But then...she freezes. The man crouched over top of her was... "Aito?" She demands, suspiciously. "What are you-?!"

"Shut up." He growls, placing a knife by her throat. Then, a twisted little smirk toys on his lips.

_Nevermind! He's just about the most vile man I've ever seen!_

"The four of us are gonna take a little...detour, okay?" He purrs, close to her ear. "And you're not gonna make a sound until we get where we're going." He eyes the sharp point of the kunai, almost lovingly. "Unless, of course, you like the sight of your own blood..." Just then, he lifts her up to her feet with an iron grip. "And remember, we won't hurt you unless you force us."

A low growl rumbles in her throat. "What do you want?!" She hisses.

"Hm? Didn't I just say not to speak?"

Sakura cries out as the knife digs into the base of shoulder, cutting a shallow wound in her flesh.

"I meant what I said..." He reminds her.

"_Let go of her!_" Naruto shouts, furiously as he struggles against his opponent.

Aito snickers, darkly before shaking his head at him. "Daiki," He calls to the other man. "Finish him off so we can get moving."

"Right..." Naruto's enemy flips backwards, breaking the fluidity of their battle. Naruto smirks, taking that as an opening. He weaves his favorite sign and shouts, "Shadow clone jutsu!" But just as several clones appear beside him, Daiki also begins to weave an intricate series of handsigns.

The dark-haired man bows his head, still sporting an arrogant smirk when he says, "Earth Style: Rock staff!" At first, nothing seems to happen. Then, Daiki leans down. His hand scooping up a small pile of gravel from the grass below them. With a sudden burst of chakra, the tiny pebbles morph together, sharpening and enlongating.

Naruto tenses. _What's he up to?_

Within a fraction of a second, those four or five bits of rock have transformed into a full-size spear. Naruto's enemy chuckles, confidently before coiling back his arm. And sending the staff flying through the air toward Naruto.

_Good luck doging that..._ Daiki comments.

And surely enough, the spear makes a direct hit. Sinking into Naruto's left shoulder, releasing a spray of blood.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screams in terror.

But then-

_POOF!_

"What the-!?" Both Aito and Daiki glance around, feverishly. _He subsituted the real him for a clone at the last second! _

Sakura grins. _Well done, Naruto!_

Daiki freezes as the ground below him cracks and shatters, a balled-up fist flying straight toward him. He steps back, his eyes going wide with shock. "How in the-?"

Naruto's fist smashes into his cheek with increadible force. The resonating sound echos through the clearing. Daiki should have gone flying...or at least budged...but he only remains standing there. Perfectly still and calm.

_Huh? _ Naruto goes to move but suddenly Daiki catches his wrist.

As his opponent turns to face him again, there's a dark gray patch on his upper jaw where Naruto had hit. He grins. "Earth Style: Harden...it makes my skin like a shield of stone...handy, ain't it?"

Naruto grunts with the effort of trying to break free. His entire body yanking and twisting away but Daiki doesn't move an inch.

"You think you're good, huh?" The other man whispers. "Well, you're no where near as good as I am..." With that, he lifts Naruto's arm into the air, pulling the blonde straight off his feet. Causing him to dangle a full six inches off the ground.

"Urg, lemme go!" Naruto spits, angrily.

"Heh...cute."

_Naruto...! _Sakura tenses. _This isn't good!_

Naruto's opponent keeps him hanging in midair just long enough to send a rock-hard punch into his stomach. The blonde cries out, painfully. A bit of blood drips down the corner of his mouth.

Daiki drops him to the ground and he lands, heavily. "Nighty night." He purrs with a snicker, watching as Naruto's eyes flutter shut.

"NARUT-" Sakura's shout is cut off as Aito chops the back of her neck and also lets her collapse to the ground.

The pair of attackers stand over their victims, looking confident and satisfied with having taken them out so easily.

"So, who do think it it? The Jinchuuriki, I mean." Daiki mutters.

"I'm not sure. The blonde seems pretty tough but...neither of them used any spectacular power or anything...either way," Aito shifts his weight, eyeing Naruto and Sakura's unconscious forms. "We have our ways of finding out."


	4. Shared Fate

_**Chapter Four**_

_**A/N: It's only when I write chapters like this one that I realize, I either watch waaaay too many horror movies or...I am a psychopath in the making XD I am hoping it's the former!**_

Darkness. That's the first thing Naruto notices when he opens his eyes. After that? Restriction. After his head clears of its fuzziness, he realizes he can't move. By craning his head, he manages to see that is tied to a kind of post. His hands bound behind his back by a seperate rope.

_What is going on here? _ He wonders as, feverishly, tries to orient himself. Where was he? How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was being knocked out by Daiki. _He must have brought me here..._ Suddenly, the breath catches in Naruto's throat. _Where's Sakura?!_ He was pretty sure he was alone in the small room. But it was so dark that he couldn't quite tell.

Deciding that he needed to know if Sakura was nearby, he allows himself call out, quietly to her. "Sakura?" He whispers. "Sakura, are you here?"

"Uhnn..." The sound came from his right.

"Sakura?" He says, softly.

"Uhn...Naruto?"

The young Jinchuuriki breathes a sigh of relief at hearing her voice. "Are you okay?" He asks, squinting through the dark to see her.

"Yeah, peachy." She grumbles in a bleak tone. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." He assures her. "Any idea where we are?"

"I was about to ask you that...hey, are we tied up?" She gasps in outrage. The sounds of struggle come from where she is trying, fruistlessly, to escape.

"Looks like it." He says, looking around the pitch black room a bit more, now that his sight has adjusted to the low light. What he sees sends a spike of fear through his heart. "Uhhh, Sakura?" He calls.

"Huh?" She glances over at him, following his line of sight to the scene of horror in front of them. "W-what the...?!"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I think so..."

Set out, in the center of concrete floor, was a white table. Or at least, it used to be white. The entire, plastic surface of the rolling desk, was stained a deep shade of red. Nightmarish tools sit in neat lines, as well as fill the open drawers. Something sticky, indicated by a sickening gleam on its surface, puddled in various locations on the floor. There were four other posts in the room, beside Naruto and Sakura's. All of which were surrounded by fallen heaps of rope and duct tape.

"What is this place...?!" Sakura shudders at the closeness of such a revolting, disturbing sight.

"I don't-"

They both flinch as the undeniable sound of a creaking door rattles behind them. Soon followed by the sound of two sets of footsteps. A long, orange ray of light stretches out from where the door has been opened, only to vanish once its closed again. Once more plunging the two captives into blackness.

"Oh, good. You're awake." A voice, that Naruto recognized as Aito, says. "We were getting tired of waiting."

A deep growl comes from Naruto's throat. "What do you want with us?!" He shouts, fiercely. He _refused_ to be afraid of them. _No way_ was he going to give these jerks the satisfaction of seeing him scared.

"Oh nothing much..." Aito chuckles. "Just some answers, is all."

"What is this place?" Sakura sounded much less stable than Naruto. Her voice shook slightly, amplifying the terror that was threatening to burn a hole right through her. But, if they could see her face, they'd be surprised to find she didn't look the least bit frightened. If anything, she looked angry.

"Oh this old shack?" Daiki snickers as he strolls across the room and stops in front of them. He was soon joined by his partner, who was gazing around at the torture chamber like it was his childroom bedroom. "This is where we do our interrogating."

"Interrogating!" Naruto snorts in a way that sounds like he might be laughing. "You mean torturing."

"Eh," Aito shrugs. "Call it what you will. But I'll say this, being a rogue ninja is tough. You don't always get things handed to you, the way you do when you live in a village. Getting food, water, supplies...information." He sighs, deeply. "Sometimes you have to be pretty...persuasive to get what you need in our situation."

"Persuasive." Naruto makes a show of rolling his eyes. "When you say it that way, it almost sounds like you aren't insane psychopaths."

Without warning, a foot crashes straight into his gut, causing him to double over in pain. "Gg..." Naruto straightens up again, glaring hatefully into Daiki's eyes. "What, exactly, do you want from us?" He snarls.

"Do you remember what I told you about Yugito?" Aito asks him, inciting a metaporical lightbulb to flash over Naruto's head.

"It was you two..." Naruto realizes. "She got jumped by you, didn't she?!"

"Us? No, no. We were friends back then, remember?" Daiki says.

"But she hurt you." Sakura points out.

"It wasn't us." Aito snaps, out of the blue. "Although, I'll admit we thought about it. She was a monster."

Naruto stiffens as the cold, harsh truth washes over him. _She had a bad temper...she lost control of herself and ended up hurting her teammates...they call her a monster...and she was killed by a pair on unknown ninja... _He suddenly felt sick to the stomach.

"She was murdered by the Akatsuki."

"Because Yugito was a Jinchuuriki."


	5. Sacrifice

_**Chapter Five**_

_**A/N: FYI, Yes Yugito is an actual Naruto character. Her name is Yugito Nii and she was the Jinchuuriki of the Two-Tails before she was "jumped by a couple of guys" being Hidan and Kakuzu from the Akatsuki. Afterward, they extracted the Bijuu and she died. No, we don't know anything about her teammates or status within her village. (Cloud village). **_

_**Important: I wrote the 'torture' section before anything else so if something doesn't make sense or there's a mistake anywhere, let me know! So I can fix it!**_

"Yugito was murdered by the Akatsuki because she was a Jinchuuriki."

Naruto bows his head as a flurry of emotion sends the Nine Tailed Fox into an angry fit of screaming within his mind. He could hardly contain the spirit's chakra as it begun to flood his body. Already, he felt his mind dimming. _No! Not now!_ "So, what?" He barks, his voice sounding slightly different than before. "She was killed, what does that have to do with us?!"

"I was just getting to that." Daiki assures him. "You see, Yugito was extremely powerful. She was probably one of the Cloud's best Shinobi. And to have two men take her down? Well, let's just say that sounds pretty promising to us."

"What?" He didn't understand. Whether it was his suddenly foggy brain or the fact that their story didn't make sense, he simply didn't know where they were going with this.

Aito sighs as if Naruto is being dense. "We wanted to kill Yugito but we knew we weren't strong enough. Lots of other people felt the same way. It's not exactly rare to hate someone like her."

_Someone like me. _ Naruto breathes once more, finally managing to calm his raging demon. "Okay?"

"So, if two guys were able to kill her so easily, it means the Akatsuki is very strong. I'm sure you know that though. And I'm sure you also know there's a war on the horizon. Everyone can feel it. We don't want to be on the losing side." Aito snickers as he kneels down in front of Naruto. "So, as a bargaining chip, we're going to bring the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki along with us."

"You psychos!" Sakura shouts as furious tears spring to her eyes. "The Akatsuki are evil! They _murdered_ you teammate! Don't you feel _anything_ at all?!"

"Tsk," Daiki shakes his head as he laughs. "Sure we feel something." His voice is low, almost a whisper when he says, "Gratitude. She was a monster and deserved death."

"You guys are sick...!" She hisses. "Why go through all this?! You had us defeated already!"

"Yeah well that's the problem." Aito says. "We asked for the Hero of the Hidden Leaf Village because we knew he...or she...was a Jinchuuriki. But we're from a different country, remember? We're not entirely sure which of you that is." He tells them, honestly.

Naruto and Sakura exchange shocked looks.

_They don't know anything!_

_ We can still get out of this...!_

"Okay, so how are you planning on finding out?" Naruto asks them. "Obviously, we're not gonna tell you a thing."

"Oh? Is that so, smart-mouth?" Just then, Daiki pulls a knife from his holster and tosses it at Naruto. The blade just barely grazes his cheek, sticking into the wooden beam he was bound to. But the paper-thin cut was enough to spill a large amount of blood. Suddenly, the ropes around Naruto unravel and fall to the ground. When he spins around to see what has happened, Aito is behind him. The brunette grabs Naruto by the back of the neck and holds him still.

"You know what I heard?" The ex-cloud village ninja stands from his crouch in front of them and begins to pace. A menacing sneer on his lips. "That Bijuu react to certain _stimuli_ from their host." He stops his pacing just long enough to flash a devilish smile at them. "More specifically, emotional and physical trauma."

Naruto and Sakura tense, waiting for him to make his point.

"So," He continues. "Since neither of you are planning on telling us what we need to know, then I guess I'll just have to draw it out of you myself." With no further warning, his arms whips out, grabbing Naruto by the collar and lifting him off the ground. "The way I see it, if I injure this boy...that will inflict physical trauma on him..." He glance at Sakura. "An emotional trauma on you. Either way, I'll figure out who the Jinchuuriki is."

"You..." Sakura hisses, furiously. She was pretty sure that, if she were the Jichuuriki, she'd already be glowing red.

"Unless, of course, you'd rather just tell me." Daiki snickers. "And save your partner the suffering..." But he doesn't give them the chance to decide. Suddenly, his hand releases its grip on Naruto's throat. Before he even gets the chance to hit the ground-

_CRACK!_

_**-xXx-**_

Sakura watches in horror as Daiki cracks his knuckles against Naruto's jaw, then throws him to the floor. The older ninja immediately coils back his leg and kicks the blonde square in the chest.

Naruto gasps, blood dripping from him lips when he tries to pull himself up again. But as soon as he manages to get on his hands and knees, his attacker lifts his foot over Naruto's back and drops it straight down, slamming Naruto back to the floor. His head smacks the ground, making his vision go dark around the edges. Without his consent, a pained moan escapes his throat.

_Naruto...!_ Sakura yanks against her restraints, panicked and desperate to reach him. _At this rate, he'll be killed!_

Once more, Naruto struggles to move. His body shaking with the effort of pushing himself onto his elbows. However, as soon as he made a little bit of progress, Daiki kneels down and grabs a fistful of his hair. He stands up, ruthlessly forcing Naruto to his feet as well.

The rogue ninja shoves Naruto forward, still gripping his hair and the back of his collar as well. His cold, grey eyes fall directly on Sakura when he says, "Well? Are you going to let him suffer some more? Or are you ready to talk?"

Sakura's words were stuck in her throat. Her mind was screaming at her to say something. To make him stop hurting Naruto...but she couldn't. Her lips simply wouldn't move. All she could do was stand there and stare at the broken and bloodied form of her friend, who was barely managing to stay on his feet after nearly fifteen minutes of ruthless beating. There was blood flowing, freely from his mouth and a gash on the side of his head.

_He can't take much more..._

"I-" The word comes just a little too late.

"Fine! We'll see how willing you are after this!" He throws Naruto's weakened body to the ground and stomps down on his chest. All the air in the blonde's lungs instantly evacuates under the crushing weight. And soon, he can't breathe.

Naruto struggles, fruitlessly. He is powerless to do anything but watch as his vision slowly begins to fade and the world around him turns fuzzy. Through ringing ears, he picks up Sakura calling his name.

"No stop!" She screams, desperately. "Please stop!"

That horrible weight dissapears from his chest. Naruto gasps, coughing and choking for air. His lungs beg for oxygen and he obeys, breathing rapidly.

"Well?" Aito sneers. "You're the only one who can save him." He strolls over to her, leaning his hand on the wall beside her head. He was definately too close for comfort. "Ready to talk?"

She lowers her gaze. _Naruto will never forgive me for this but...I can't just sit here and watch him suffer anymore... _"Yes..." She tells him. "I'm-"

"No!"

Sakura gasps, her eyes finding Naruto immediately.

He was clutching his ribs and staggering, dangerously. But he was awake again and nearly upright. His azure eyes blazing. "Don't...tell him...anything...Sakura...don't give them...the victory!" He wheezes.

"Naruto..."

"Oh? Back for more punishment, eh?" Aito pulls away from Sakura and begins to reach for him again.

"Don't touch him!" Sakura barks, furiously. "I said I'd tell you! So don't hurt him!"

Suddenly, the ex-Cloud ninja smirks. "Yeah, you did...except, I just thought of something."

Sakura goes stiff at the coldness of his voice.

"Why waste my time with torture? After all, if I kill him now, I can spend more time interrogating you, Sakura...and there will be no more distractions."

"You..." Naruto growls, trying to think of an obscenity strong enough to throw at the likes of him. "If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll-"

"You'll what? You can't do a thing if you're dead..." He reaches behind himself and produces a kunai from the pouch strapped to his waist.

Naruto's chest clenches with fear but he doesn't let it show. Instead, he spits a mouthful of blood into his opponent's face and smiles, darkly.

"Gah!" Daiki smacks the gore from his cheek and lashes out at Naruto, hacking into the teen's shoulder with the knife.

"Ah!" Naruto cries out in pain but wrestles the blade away from his opponent, somehow managing a kick into Daiki's throat. It does little but infuriate the rogue.

Aito belts him across the cheek, shouting so loud that it hurts the bleeding boy's ears. Naruto was now lying, motionless on the ground. Too dizzy to move. The kunai he'd only barely been able to steal from his enemy now laid, useless in his open palm.

_I'm gonna...pass out..._ He realizes, numbly as black spots muffle the world in front of him. He could still vaguely hear Sakura talking to him, begging him to get up. Or to say something. He wanted to, but his body wouldn't listen to him. It was beginning to shut down, trying to force him to rest. _No..._ He grinds his teeth together, hoping that would keep him awake. _Get it together...I gotta...save Sakura..._ He reminds himself.

Just then, the kunai is lifted from his hand. Daiki kneels above him, twirling the knife on his finger when he says, "Goodbye, Konoha brat!"

Naruto watches with half-lidded eyes as Daiki sends the knife sailing toward his throat. Just before it makes contact, the world fades away into darkness.

"STOP!" Sakura screams in despertion. "IT'S ME!"

The blade stops only an inch from Naruto's throat. Aito and Daiki turn, slowly to face her. "Hm? What was that you said?"

Sakura was breathing heavily from the stress and panic. "I said...i-it's me! I'm the Jinchuuriki!" She bows her head. "It's me...! Don't hurt him...! There's no reason for you to hurt him anymore...you have your answer. I'm the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki!"


	6. Please Don't Wake Up

_**Chapter Six**_

_**A/N: An answer to a question I recieved from a Guest: It can be considered both Romance or Friendship because it's obvious they share strong feelings for each other. (Sakura is willing to give her life for Naruto) But I won't be saying, outright, whether the feelings are Romantic or not. That's up to the reader to decide. And one more thing to keep in mind when differciating Love and Friendship, the strongest and truest of love will usually blossom out of friendship. In my own opinion, of course.**_

"_Stop_!" Sakura begs them, her watering eyes are locked on Naruto. He was unconscious, literally beaten into submission by the ruthless duo. And for what? Information. "It's me..." She breathes, quietly. "I'm the Jinchuuriki, I admit it! Now leave him alone!"

Daiki and Aito exchange skeptical looks.

"Oh?" Daiki makes a show of returning his weapon back into his pouch. "Aito, it seems we have a confession."

His companion smirks and strolls over to her, kneeling down he cups her cheeks in his hands. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Yeah, and now your boyfriend can stay alive a little longer." Daiki adds with a cocky snicker. "Maybe you Jinchuuriki aren't completely heartless after all..." They both burst of laughing at that. Their booming voices echo through the dark room.

"Alright," Aito finally says as the laughter begins to quiet down. "Let's get this over with already. C'mon, girl." He grunts, cutting her free as Daiki restrains her. "And no funny business, okay? Or we'll have to kill you."

But Sakura doesn't even hear their words. The only thing her mind can register is one, single thought. Her eyes never leave Naruto when she repeats the phrase, like a mantra. Or a prayer. _Please don't wake up! Please don't wake up! Not until we're gone! Please! Don't come after us!_

_**-xXx-**_

__A single, silvery ray of light cuts across Naruto's face as the door creaks open. A subtle heat that warms his cold body. But it's gone in an instant, the door slamming shut behind them. Just as the group dissapears into the woods, a small groan breaks from Naruto's throat. The world looks fuzzy and out of focus when his eyes flutter open.

_**-xXx-**_

___Plip...plip...plip..._

Somewhere, far away in the distance, the sound of water dripping can be heard from within the dank cave. The rough, wet walls glisten with a perpetual dampness that flickered with orange light from a few candles that were mounted on its sides. At the very back of the cave, a huge and intimidating statue, of a demon's head covered with nine large eyes, commanded the recognition of anyone who entered. In front of the head was a pair of enourmous hands, studded with razor-sharp claws.

Seated atop one of the statue's palms, was a man sporting a twisted, orange mask with only one eye-hole. From deep within, a dangerous red glow sliced through the darkness like a dagger. He was staring, almost mindlessly at the statue. Inspecting the seven opens eyes that roamed the room, wildly. But, more disturbing to him, were the two eyes that remained closed.

_I still need the Eight and Nine tails...Bee and Naruto..._ Madara is not surprised in the least when the ground below him began to mold upward, revealing the freakish head of Zetsu.

"Lord Madara," He says.

"What is it?" Replies the masked man.

"There is a group of Rogue Cloud Ninja approaching."

"Kill them." Madara sighs, waving him away.

"Actually, My Lord..."

Madara glances down again. Zetsu never talked back to him.

"Sakura Haruno, the Leaf Kunoichi, is with them as well. She appears to be their captive."

"How far are they?"

"About five miles. They are resting now but should be here soon."

_She's Naruto Uzumaki's teammate...what is she doing here? _"Leave them." Madara tells him and then smirks beneath his mask. "I find myself intruiged..."

_**-xXx-**_

__"Daiki," Aito grumbles as he pushes himself to his feet. "I've got to take a leak, watch her." He says, nodding toward Sakura. "Don't let her mold any chakra."

"Right." Daiki mutters, gripping the back of her neck a little tighter.

It had been like this the entire time. One, or both of them, was always keeping an eye on her. Always holding onto her in a way where she could barely move at all. Sakura had hoped to have escaped by now. But they had tied her hands behind her back, like they had Naruto. She could move her fingers at all.

_I don't have time for this!_ Sakura decides, furiously. _Naruto is going to wake up eventually and I just know he'll come after me...I need to get to him before that happens! We can't afford another fight._

_ CRASH!_

"AGH!"

Daiki jumps to his feet, hauling Sakura up as well. "Aito! What's going on?!"

The bushes part again and the brunette steps out, rotating his shoulder with an embarrased look on his face. "Stupid root..." He grumbles.

"What happened?" Daiki demands, barely covering a smirk at the befuddled appearance of his partner.

"I uh..." He flashes a look at Sakura, his icy eyes scanning her almost possesively. It gave her the chills to see him look at her like that. "I tripped."

She shrinks away, feeling like she wanted to hide herself from his gaze. But she couldn't. Daiki held her, firmly and wouldn't let go.

"You ready to keep moving? We're almost there." Sakura's captor asks him.

"Yeah, let's just get this over with." He mutters, his eyes never moving from their position on Sakura's.

_It's like he's...trying to tell me something..._ It was true. There was a very knowing look in his eye. Like he was attempting to convey some kind of message to her. But she just didn't understand.

"Can I help you?!" She finally snaps.

Aito recoils, slightly. "Nope. Just keep moving." He tells her.

Oddly enough, Sakura can't help but notice a tiny smirk on the corner of his lips. Almost like her outburst had...pleased him.

_**A/N: Anyone got any idea what's going on? *Evil grin* Cuz I sure do! XD MWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_


	7. Goodbye

_**Chapter Seven**_

The rush of emotion that Sakura experienced when they arrived at their destination was increadible. Some kind of evil mingling of nostalgia and terror. That red, wooden arch made feel like her teammates should be standing next to her. That she should be able to speak to Kakashi or...Naruto. She shakes her head. _I'm doing this to protect him. _She reminds herself. _He would do the same for me. _She was sure of that much. If their situation had been reversed, it would be Naruto standing here, not her. The mere thought of her blonde friend being so close to sharing the same fate Gaara had...she can't help but shudder.

As Daiki and Aito begin to lead her inside, she notices that the boulder was missing. The same one that had sealed off the Akatsuki's lair when Team 7 had come to rescue Gaara, was now missing.

_They're expecting us..._ She realizes. _Of course they are...even that first time they knew we were coming._ She wasn't sure why she had expected anything less of the Akatsuki.

As soon as they take their first step inside the cave, Sakura notices the huge statue. The time they'd been here before, she hardly noticed it at all...what with Gaara laying dead on the ground only feet away from her.

"Hello?" Daiki calls, loudly.

"Anybody around?" Aito shouts.

Sakura tenses. What would they do to her once they found out she was lying? What would the Akatsuki do to her? Would they kill her? Probably... _For Naruto._ She reminds herself. _As long as he's safe, nothing else matters..._ She closes her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. _Please, please don't follow us..._

It's only then she feels a pair of eyes on her again. Turning, she finds Aito watching her with a curious expression on his face. She looks down and remembers it's his hand that's holding her so tightly. It wasn't a rough grip, only firm. Reminding her not to try anything. Or else. However, there did seemed to be something...off about him.

"Why are you staring at me?!" She growls, glaring at him.

Another tiny grin twitches at the corner of his lips. "You're not like Yugito." The brunette mumbles, quietly. Just loud enough for her to hear.

"What...?" She asks, suspiciously.

"Yugito had a terrible temper," He explains with a shrug. "But you seem to be pretty level headed...even in such a dangerous situation as this. Tell me," He chuckles, leaning in close. "Aren't you scared?"

Sakura grinds her teeth together. "No."

"Pff," He shakes his head. "Liar." Then, the look in his expression changes. "I think there's a lot you've lied about today."

She stiffens up. "Wh-what?"

"Hey, you two!" Daiki snaps, suddenly. "Quit flirting with the demon girl, Aito and help me find these guys!"

With a deep sigh, Aito nods and takes a breath, ready to call out again. But he doesn't get the chance.

"There's no need for that." A deep male's voice says from above them. All three look up to find Madara seated on one of the thumbs of the statue. "My name is Madara Uchiha." He says to the two who don't know him. "Why are you here?"

"Uh," Daiki flashes Aito a wide-eyed look before mouthing 'Uchiha'. "We want to join you!" He calls, excitedly. "To show you we mean it-" He tugs Sakura forward. "We brought you the Nine Tailed Fox's Jinchuuriki!"

Madara doesn't answer immediately. He only tilts his head and stares for a moment. "Funny," The masked man says. "Because the last time I checked, this is Sakura Haruno. The Jinchuuriki's _teammate_."

"Wh-what?" Daiki and Aito recoil from her, their eyes wide with fury and outrage. "You little-"

"I knew it!" Aito barks. "She lied so we would take her instead!"

"You knew?! Why didn't you say anything then?!" Daiki growls, charging over to his partner with a look of murder in his eyes.

"Hey, look I-"

"Enough!" Madara shouts.

Both men shift their gazes to him.

"You didn't bring me the Jinchuuriki but, what you did bring me, is the next best thing." Says the Uchiha.

"What do you mean?" Daiki asks.

"This woman is his friend. And if I know anything about Naruto Uzumaki, it's that he never abandons his friends. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

"SCREW YOU!" She cries out.

"So he'll come. And I'll be waiting." Madara suddenly dissapears into a spirling void, only to reappear before them. "What are your names?" He asks them.

"Uh, Daiki."

"Aito."

"Well," He motions for the exit. "Since you did help me a bit, I won't kill you today. You may leave."

"What?!" Daiki barks. "No way! We fought like crazy to get her here! We're not leaving until you-" His words are silenced when Madara ruthlessly stabs a kunai deep into his abdomen. Aito's partner collapses to the ground, dead.

"What about you? Are you still adament about joining?" Madara growls, twirling the knife on his finger.

"N-no!" Aito stutters, scrambling away. "I'll just go!" And, with that, he dissapears through the door.

"And then there were two..." He snickers, looking Sakura over, greedily. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. After all, I need you alive if you're going to be ransom."

Sakura glares, hatefully at him. "You're wasting your time!" She snarls. "Naruto's no moron. He won't follow."

"Oh? Are you so sure of that? Then, perhaps I should just kill you now and get it over with. Or maybe-"

"_Madara_!"

The voice sends tremors down Sakura's spine. _No, you idiot! You'll be killed!_ But her silent pleads do little to stop Naruto from bursting into the cave, his blue eyes blazing with fury and determination.

"Sakura, are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine! Now go or he'll kill you!" She demands.

Naruto's expression tightens. "No."

"Naruto-"

"I won't leave you behind." He says, finally tearing his gaze away from his enemy. "You risked your life to save me...and I appreciate that. But this isn't your fight, Sakura. I'm the Jinchuuriki. I'll deal with my enemies myself."

"You idiot! Just-"

Suddenly, Madara's arm is wrapped much too tightly around her throat. He tilts his head, curiously. A challenge. "Just surrender, Naruto. If you do, I'll let her live."

Naruto doesn't respond for a few seconds. His eyes were hard, his expression was anything but unreadable. Anyone with half-decent eyesight could see he was afraid. His every instinct, including the Nine Tailed Fox, was screaming for him to run. To just let Sakura die. _No. Not a chance._ He'd known, the entire time coming here, he was prepared to save her. No matter the cost.

"Naruto...!" Sakura croaks out, even in her situation, she was begging for him to flee.

He lowers his gaze. "I'm sorry, Sakura..." He breathes as he begins to walk. His arms at his sides, unarmed.

_Oh God, what is he-_

But he doesn't walk to Madara. The Jinchuuriki only stops when he inches in front of Sakura, who was still struggling against Madara. But she does totally still when Naruto reaches her.

Sakura studies his face, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. What was he planning? Surely, he wouldn't just give up! He wouldn't...would he?

The blonde boy smiles. "Sakura," He says. His voice holding nothing but warmth.

"Please don't..." She pleads with him, not even trying to fight the tears from spilling over her cheeks. "Naruto, please..."

At hearing the sorrow in her voice, his smile fades. Reaching up, he brushes his fingers across her cheek, watching her like this is the last time he'll ever see her. "Run."

"What?" She braces herself, preparing for kind of intervention. Some sort of plan to begin playing out...but there's nothing.

"When I do this, you need to run. Okay? Don't fight him. Just go."

"N-Naruto...what are you saying...I...you can't..." Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was like the world was moving in slow motion.

But then- He leans in, slowly. So close that her heart begins to hammer and her cheeks flush red. _Is he going to...?_

No. He stops. His lips only a fraction of an inch from her forehead when he says, "Thank you."

A choked sob escapes from the desperate rosette. She knew it meant, 'Goodbye'.


	8. Nine Phantom Dragons

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**A/N: **_

_** In reply to: **_GoldenMoon1997_**: It has everything to do with the fact that Daiki and Aito have no idea who they're dealing with. They know next to nothing about the Akatsuki or Jinchuuriki (which is apparent by they way they interact with Madara). They have no idea that a Jinchuuriki needs to be alive for the extraction so, to them, killing Naruto is no big deal.. Sorry that I didn't make that more clear and I hope that answers your question. :)**_

_** Also, I have a sprinkling of writer's block so...I apologize if it sounds weird. **_

"Thank you." Naruto breathes. He turns to Madara, their eyes locking instantly. Suddenly, there was a suspcious glint in the Jinchuuriki's eyes. "How do I know you'll let her go?" He demands, folding his arms definatly.

"You don't." Madara tells him. "But what's the alternative? Leaving her behind?" There was a hint of humor in his voice now.

"Tsk," Naruto knew he had been cornered. He wouldn't abandon Sakura. He couldn't. "Alright." The blonde bows his head, fighting to keep the fear off his face. What would it be like? To have the Nine Tails extracted... "Fine. But you have to let her go. There's no point in keeping her here, anyway. She's no use to you now." He points out, trying to think like Madara.

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Says the Uchiha. "She's served her purpose." And, with that, he releases his grip on her. "You can go now, girl."

Sakura yanks away, spinning around to glare hatefully at him. But her scowl dies as soon as she notices the three of them are no longer alone. Suddenly, the cave is now occupied by more Akatsuki. Their black and red robes looking ghostly in the low light.

_So many of them... _She realizes with a pang of fear. _One...two...three...four..._ In all, she counts nine of them. Not including Madara. _Where did they all come from?! _And how, on earth, were there so many?! Over the past few months, more and more had been killed. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Pain... How were there still so many?! When she focuses in on them, though, she sees that the whites of their eyes have turned black. And there are hair-line cuts running through their faces. _They look like zombies... _She realizes with a shudder.

They surrounded them. Naruto and Sakura were badly outnumbered.

Before either of them knows what has happened, one of them appears behind Naruto. He grips his shoulder and shoves him forward. "Let's go." He switches his gaze on Sakura. "Lord Madara said leave. Don't waste his mercy."

"I-" Sakura watches, helplessly as Naruto follows them. He wasn't fighting at all. Just as he'd said, he would cooperate as long as she was allowed to live. _He never breaks his promises..._ She remembers.

"Sakura," Naruto's voice was just as even as Madara's had been. Even though she could plainly feel the terror coming off of him. "He's right, you need to go."

"N-no!" She shouts. "I won't leave you be-"

"SAKURA!" He barks, loudly. "I'm saying it's okay. You tried to save me but you need to go now! Or else this will be for nothing." He doesn't look at her at all when he speaks. His back is toward her so she can't see his expression. "Please just go."

Before she has the chance to reply or move at all, Naruto is pushed once more. This time, he stumbles into the center of the cave. Just below the massive statue. Then, the Akatsuki members vanish, only to reappear on the fingers of its hands. They weave a series of handsigns but pause, allowing Madara to look down at Naruto.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time. Ever since the day of your birth, when Kushina was still the Jinchuuriki. I can't wait to have the Nine Tails under my control once again..." He purrs.

Then, in unison, all of them shout, "Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons Seal!"

_**-xXx-**_

__From the fanged, open mouth of the statue, a strange purple light bubbled up from inside. It comes slowly at first, shimmering just within the petrified creature's throat. Then, without warning, the light bursts outward. Splitting up into nine seperate beams of chakra. By the time they reach their target, they have taken a kind of shape. And, indeed, they do look like phantom dragons.

A shocked gasp breaks from Naruto when they slam into him. Their light engulfing his body. He feels himself being lifted off the ground...but he can't move. His body instantly goes numb as his feet float off the ground. He is only vaguely aware that Sakura is still there, awaiting his death with tear-stricken eyes. He tries to struggle. This jutsu didn't feel right. It gave off an ominous feeling that chilled him to the core. No wonder it was a forbidden jutsu...

Just then, he feels a pang of something. Not pain. No, he knew he wouldn't feel pain. Something else...it was weirdly firmiliar. Oh yes, _that's _what it was.

_It's about time you showed up..._

_**-xXx-**_

__"Sakura." A hand shoots out of the shadows of the cave's enterance. Catching her wrist in a firm grip.

But she doesn't respond. She couldn't. Not with Naruto have his soul sucked only feet away from her. All she could do was stand there, frozen in fear and guilt. In the end, there was really nothing she could ever do to help him...

"_Sakura_!" The voice was tight, meaningful. "Snap out of it, we have to go!"

She doesn't even look at the person who is speaking to her. She doesn't know who it is. She doesn't care. Naruto is dying right in front of her. It could have been Sasuke himself and she wouldn't have cared...

The person heaves a heavy sigh and loops his arm around shoulder and the other goes under her knees. And then she's off the ground. Only then does she allow herself a glance at the man who was talking to her.

"Aito..." She mumbles. Her expression was weirdly blank. Like she was in a kind of trance. But, even so, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"It's okay." He whispers to her. "Let's get you out of here before they change their minds."

"But what about Na-"

"It's too late. There's no saving him." His voice is as cold as his eyes when he recognizes this undeniable fact. "Naruto is dead. There's nothing we can do about it."

_**A/N: Sorry about such short chapters lately. But this was the best way to end it for today. Next chapter might be the end, who knows? So I wanted to give it break for now and let tomorrow's be a decent length too XD**_


	9. Promise

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**A/N: Yugito's capture by the Akatsuki can be found in the last few minutes of episode 71.**_

"Naruto is dead and there's nothing we can do about it!" Aito barks at her.

She sputters under the weight of blow. _Naruto is dead...? _She felt all the strength ebbing out of her and, suddenly, she was glad that Aito was carrying her. Otherwise, she would have collapsed. _Naruto is...no...no way...that can't be..._ She closes her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek until she tastes blood. _No...no...no..._

She felt Aito watching her again. But she doesn't open her eyes or ask what why he's saving her. She doesn't really care anymore. She was mourning.

He can't help but frown at the sight of her like that. Sakura was utterly broken-hearted as he carried her away from the Akatsuki's lair. He wanted-needed-to tell her the truth. He couldn't stand seeing her like this!

He parts his lips, ready to say something. But then- He flinches. _Not yet. _He decides. They were still being followed. _Is it Zetsu? _He wonders. If so, they'd have a hard time losing him. His eyes trail over her tear-streaked face again and he leans down.

"I'm sorry." He whispers to her.

_**-xXx-**_

"Lord Madara," One of the Akatsuki mutters.

"I know." The Uchiha glares at his jutsu. And, more precisely, the boy floating within in. With a tired sigh, he whips out a kunai and sends it sailing toward him. Naruto dissapears into a puff of smoke, allowing the sealing jutsu to end. _How could I have been so naive? To be fooled by something like this...Naruto is more clever than I give him credit for..._

_**-xXx-**_

"Sakura," Aito mutters as he sets her on the ground. "Are you okay?"

She nods, slowly. Her eyes were distant and glazed over. "Why...why are you doing this...?" She wonders, half-heartedly. "We were enemies before..."

He shakes his head before glancing over his shoulder. _I think I lost him..._ He was pretty sure Zetsu had stopped following once they got a few miles away from the Hidden Leaf. But he wanted to be sure. Now, they had stopped beneath an enourmous tree that would act as decent cover if he continued to follow. "We were never enemies, Sakura."

She doesn't respond. Once again, her expression is blank.

"Sakura." He groans, wearily and shuffles closer. _I don't really want to release the jutsu yet but...if she keeps this up, I'll have no choice. _"Hey, get it together."

Nothing.

With one last attempt of feeling around for their pursuer's chakra, he decides it's time. "Release." Then, with a puff of smoke, he sits kneels down in front of her. "Come on, Sakura. It's okay now, snap out of it."

She doesn't even seem to hear him. Instead, she mutters something under her breath. Something about Naruto.

He huffs, angrily. "Sakura," He reaches up and touches the side of her cheek. "Hey, it's m-"

_SLAP!_

His cheek stings where her hand had connected with the side of his face.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" She screams, furiously. "ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID PLAN FOR REVENGE! NOW HE'S-"

"Sakura!" He scrambles to his feet, catching her shoulders. "Look at me!"

She freezes. Her anger doesn't melt; it freezes over. Still existing, but hidden from the forefront of her thoughts. Her mind was now totally occupied by his face. His eyes, his skin, his hair...they were all... "Why...why are you doing this...?" She asks with a trembling voice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before." He mumbles. "But Zetsu was following us and I didn't want to give him the chance to..." He trails off for a moment. "And with all the stuff I said earlier...I'm really sorry. I needed it to be convincing. Madara had to be distracted so he wouldn't look too close...Sharingan and all...he would have noticed." He continues his nervous rant, all the while watching her facial expression very closely. "And I know that-"

"Naruto..." The word is just a single breath but it's enough to stop him mid-sentence.

"Huh?"

"It's...it's...really you?" She whispers.

He grimaces, suddenly regretful that he'd never gotten a chance to tell her his plan. "Yeah. It's me."

She stares at him with wide, green eyes. _He's...not dead...?_ "How...?"

"I uh," He smirks, bashfully. "I snuck up on Aito when the three of you were taking a break. I tied him up and transformed into him."

"That was you...?"

_**-xXx-**_

_"I uh..." He flashes a look at Sakura, his icy eyes scanning her almost possesively. It gave her the chills to see him look at her like that. "I tripped."_

_ She shrinks away, feeling like she wanted to hide herself from his gaze. But she couldn't. Daiki held her, firmly and wouldn't let go. _

_ "You ready to keep moving? We're almost there." Sakura's captor asks him._

_ "Yeah, let's just get this over with." He mutters, his eyes never moving from their position on Sakura's._

_ It's like he's...trying to tell me something... It was true. There was a very knowing look in his eye. Like he was attempting to convey some kind of message to her. But she just didn't understand._

_ "Can I help you?!" She finally snaps._

_ Aito recoils, slightly. "Nope. Just keep moving." He tells her._

_ Oddly enough, Sakura can't help but notice a tiny smirk on the corner of his lips. Almost like her outburst had...pleased him._

_**-xXx-**_

_ Turning, she finds Aito watching her with a curious expression on his face. She looks down and remembers it's his hand that's holding her so tightly. It wasn't a rough grip, only firm. Reminding her not to try anything. Or else. However, there did seemed to be something...off about him._

_ "Why are you staring at me?!" She growls, glaring at him._

_ Another tiny grin twitches at the corner of his lips. "You're not like Yugito." The brunette mumbles, quietly. Just loud enough for her to hear._

_ "What...?" She asks, suspiciously._

_ "Yugito had a terrible temper," He explains with a shrug. "But you seem to be pretty level headed...even in such a dangerous situation as this. Tell me," He chuckles, leaning in close. "Aren't you scared?"_

_ Sakura grinds her teeth together. "No."_

_ "Pff," He shakes his head. "Liar." Then, the look in his expression changes. "I think there's a lot you've lied about today."_

_**-xXx-**_

And then, suddenly-

"But I watched you die!" She cries. "I saw them use that jutsu on you!"

Naruto shakes his head. "That was a clone. Which is why I needed to distract Madara. Under normal circumstances, he would have noticed."

"Distract him?" She wonders.

_**-xXx-**_

_"I won't leave you behind." He says, finally tearing his gaze away from his enemy. "You risked your life to save me...and I appreciate that. But this isn't your fight, Sakura. I'm the Jinchuuriki. I'll deal with my enemies myself."_

_ "You idiot! Just-"_

_ Suddenly, Madara's arm is wrapped much too tightly around her throat. He tilts his head, curiously. A challenge. "Just surrender, Naruto. If you do, I'll let her live."_

_ Naruto doesn't respond for a few seconds. His eyes were hard, his expression was anything but unreadable. Anyone with half-decent eyesight could see he was afraid. His every instinct, including the Nine Tailed Fox, was screaming for him to run. To just let Sakura die. No. Not a chance. He'd known, the entire time coming here, he was prepared to save her. No matter the cost. _

_ "Naruto...!" Sakura croaks out, even in her situation, she was begging for him to flee. _

_ He lowers his gaze. "I'm sorry, Sakura..." He breathes as he begins to walk. His arms at his sides, unarmed. _

_ The blonde boy smiles. "Sakura," He says. His voice holding nothing but warmth._

_ "Please don't..." She pleads with him, not even trying to fight the tears from spilling over her cheeks. "Naruto, please..."_

_ At hearing the sorrow in her voice, his smile fades. Reaching up, he brushes his fingers across her cheek, watching her like this is the last time he'll ever see her. "Run."_

_ "What?" She braces herself, preparing for kind of intervention. Some sort of plan to begin playing out...but there's nothing._

_ "When I do this, you need to run. Okay? Don't fight him. Just go."_

_ "N-Naruto...what are you saying...I...you can't..." Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was like the world was moving in slow motion._

_ But then- He leans in, slowly. So close that her heart begins to hammer and her cheeks flush red. Is he going to...?_

_ No. He stops. His lips only a fraction of an inch from her forehead when he says, "Thank you."_

_ A choked sob escapes from the desperate rosette. She knew it meant, 'Goodbye'._

_**-xXx-**_

"So, all of that...was meant so Madara wouldn't suspect you?"

He nods. "I'm sorry Sakura. I didn't mean to scare you like that, it's just...I guess I'm an idiot. I couldn't think of a way to tell you without tipping Daiki or Madara or Zetsu off..." He shakes his head. "So...sorry."

When Sakura looks down, she notices that her hands are trembling. She recognizes the burning heat in her chest as fury. But, for some reason, she still felt numb. Some part of her still didn't believe his story, even though it was obviously Naruto standing in front of her. It was like her heart was made of fire, but the rest of her was ice. Including her throat; she couldn't speak.

"Sakura?" He mumbles, his azure eyes roaming her face. _She's gotta still be mad...but I thought she might forgive me a little...after all, I didn't have much of a choice! _ "Are you-"

_SMACK!_

Naruto's head snaps sideways under the force of her hand. He stumbles, nearly falling over at the unexpected hit. "Ow.." He reaches up, massaging the pain out of his cheek and glancing back up at Sakura. "Sakura, that hurt!" He whines, loudly. "I'm still sore from Daiki's 'interrogation'! Remember that?!"

"You stupid moron..." She growls, quietly.

"Huh?" Suddenly, his body goes rigid.

Sakura's arms loop around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. "You scared me to death, you know that! I oughta kill you myself..." But her words were half-hearted. There was simply too much affection and warmth there for the word 'kill' to be scary.

"I really am sorry." He says, not sure what else to say or do. Sakura was hugging him. _Sakura _was _hugging_ him. He felt like, maybe, he really was dead. And this was heaven.

"I know." Then, she backs off, releasing him from her embrace. "Let's just go before something else happens."

"R-right." He agrees, quickly. Still reeling from the feeling of her hug. "Oh wait!" He gasps.

"What now?!" She demands.

"Uhh," Naruto's face goes red with a small blush. "I sorta forgot something...it's important..."

_**-xXx-**_

_Snip!_

The ropes around Aito's wrists fall to the ground as Naruto backs away from him. "There, that oughta do it." He says, slipping the kunai back into his pouch.

Sakura frowns at the man. "What do you think will happen? He has no idea that Daiki is dead..."

Naruto shakes his head and sighs. "I don't know...maybe he'll go back to the Cloud village."

"Probably not." Sakura decides, watching Naruto closely. "Do you think he'll go after you again?"

"No, not without Daiki. He won't try anything like this again." Naruto tells her.

"Let's hope not."

And, with that, Naruto and Sakura turn in the direction of the Leaf Village, content with leaving that whole nightmare behind. They hop high into the trees and start sprinting for home. It's only when they can see the gates, that Naruto turns to her again.

"Sakura,"

"Hm?"

"Thanks, by the way." He mutters, coyly.

"For what?" She asks.

"You saved me. If not for you, I really would be dead."

Her eyes widen, slightly. "Uh..." She clears her throat, nervously. "No problem."

He grins and they continue their way home.

_I guess he's right...but..._ She smiles to herself. _ Next time, I won't let anything bad happen to him. I'll keep him safe. _She snickers, quietly when she decides, _That's my promise of a lifetime._

_**A/N: Meh, I'm just not good at endings. -_- But whatever! END! XD What did you think of The Luck Of the Draw?! Also, GOSH you guys are smart! So many of you guess that it was a transformation! I had to try really hard to throw you off the trail XD Good job! LOL. Anyway, I hope you liked it! PEACE OUT~**_


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